Did you ever regret skipping breakfast before leaving for college? Ever felt so hungry in between the lectures that your stomach actually sounds like a dying whale? Well , if you are a north campus student at DU and so down with hunger but have nothing more than 50-55 bucks to spare , the mighty chole (chickpea curry) and bhature ( fluffy deep fried bread made of maida) comes to your rescue at this small shop at Kamla Nagar called ‘Chache Di Hatti’. It is located at the nukkad of a small street opposite to the keventers .This shop can be a recognized from a certain distance due to the crowd of people waiting in queues to gulp up the drool worthy bhature with some spicy chole and chutney.

Although, you don’t get a huge variety of options at this place which in turn shows the limited options which ‘Chache di Hatti’ is best at. It serves two types of bhature which differ in nothing but the type of stuffing, one is the plain bhatura and other one is the potato stuffed bhatura. According to the owner, this shop is approximately five to six decades old and is carried on by the third generation at present. In its early days, the rates of one serving of cholebhature was as low as 20 rupees and after years passed, the price is still very affordable. When you stand in the queue and look around at the crowd, you will see majority as the college students with backpacks on their back and a proud grin on their face realising how much this place is worth bunking a lecture. There are approximately 6 to 7 staff members standing as the pillars of this most famous joint in the national capital , who are more than swift in taking and preparing orders despite the never ending queue of the crowd.

‘Chache di Hatti’ is at most known for its consistent taste and the position at which it stands above all peer competitors all around ‘SaddiDilli’.Some middle aged people standing in the queue can often be seen looking back to and discussing the good old days and how they used to sneak out of lectures to grab a bite at this joint which is something that tickles nostalgia and gets a smile on their face ,which indeed will continue over generations due to the pride which ‘Chache Di Hatti’ holds due to its consistent and legendary serving of happiness in the form food which makes it so mandatory to visit and become a hardcore fan of.

Nand di Hatti

By Anubhav Sapra

There are a few landmark eateries in Delhi that continue to sustain their authentic taste, one generation after the other. When it comes to Delhi’s classic Punjabi dish – chole bhature, only few have retained the original taste. Out of these few establishments, one of them is Nand di Hatti in Sadar Bazar. I went there with my parents the other day. My parents had the first bite and proudly gave their verdict, that the taste and quality is still the same even after thirty years.

The complete name of the eatery is Nand di Hatti. The address is 829, Paan Mandi, Sadar Bazar, Delhi – 110006, and their phone numbers are 9582105678, 9958717192, and 9811480566.

The family is originally from Rawalpindi in Pakistan, where they had a chole, kulche and roti shop in Raja Bazar. After partition, they migrated to Delhi in 1947 and started selling chole kulche in Sadar Bazar on a cart. In 1960, Nand Lal ji bought the shop at the corner of Paan Mandi and introduced his chole bhature made in desi ghee. Currently, Om Prakash ji, son of the late Nand Lal ji runs the shop with his two sons. There is one more shop by the name of Nand di Hatti, owned by his brother.

The dough of bhaturas is prepared with suji (semolina), maida (white flour), dahi (yoghurt), namak (salt), cheeni (sugar), hing (asafoetida), baking powder, and yeast. Their addition of suji to the bhatura dough took me by surprise. The bhaturas are soft and even crispy, with no oil dripping out. The chole was a mix of delectable flavours. Owing to the few most important spices used quite commonly in our Indian dishes like hing (asafoetida), jeera (cumin), ajwain (carom), saunf (fennel seeds), and mirch (red and yellow chillies). They also do not add any onion and garlic. The best part is that you will never feel that you are missing out on them. The accompaniments served with the dish include amla ka achaar (gooseberry pickles) and green chillies achar. Spicy, enough! It was a real street treat! A plate of chole and bhature costs Rs. 90.

The bhaturas, chole, and pickles are all made in desi ghee. The dish is certainly not for health conscious and faint-hearted people. My parents without worrying about the cholesterol gobbled the dish. I, too, happily wiped down the plate of chole bhature.

Anubhav Sapra is an avid foodie! He is a Founder but proudly calls himself a Foodie-in-chief at Delhi Food Walks. He is also a street-food and Indian regional cuisine connoisseur and loves to write about street-food.

CRISPY TOKRI

By Shreya Chowdhury

“Dillwalo ki Dilli” is often used to describe Delhi and Delhiites, and the one thing very close to their Dil (heart) is food, especially street food. To cater to this love for street food, a small outlet named Crispy Tokri has opened in PVR Anupam Complex, Saket.

Their most famous is the Tokri Chaat, from which it derives its name. It was truly a delight for the taste buds. The dahi was sweet and fresh. The bhalla, anar (pomegranate), aloo bhujia, paneer, the tokri, mixture of balanced spices create a very interesting and flavourful mouthful. The Tokri chaat makes a great snack, nice and light, perhaps after a movie at the Cineplex.

The most popular dish is their Chole Bhature. It is a delight for health-conscious people, as the bhatura is fried in olive oil. They are nice and fluffy and very importantly, non-greasy. It tastes amazing! It has some spices which enhances the taste. The Chole was cooked to perfection, and the taste was authentic Delhi style. The chole, bhature, green chutney, onion and achaar make a great combination. It tastes good and is very filling.

Their other famous dishes are aloo tikki, raj kachori and golgappas. For foreign tourists, aloo tikki is suggested. It is comparatively less spicy, also cooked in olive oil. The golgappa is fresh and crispy, with a good balance of sweet and sour.

In today’s world, people avoid street food because of hygiene reasons. In that premise, Crispy Tokri is very hygienic and is one of the reasons why people love the place. Also, the people serving are very hospitable. Overall, it was a good experience. The price is also reasonable and doesn’t burn a hole in the pocket. The maintenance of hygiene, the use of olive oil and RO water for the golgappas just adds to the fact that they do have great street food. They also have home delivery and take away. So, if you cannot go out but are craving for tasty, hygienic street food, Crispy Tokri is a good choice.

Anubhav Sapra is an avid foodie! He is a Founder but proudly calls himself a Foodie-in-chief at Delhi Food Walks. He is also a street-food and Indian regional cuisine connoisseur and loves to write about street-food.

Chacha Di Hatti

By Simran kaur Kainth

What could be better than eating spicy Punjabi chhole bhature for breakfast on Sunday? Most houses in Model Town enjoy this delicious breakfast freshly prepared by Chacha Di Hatti. Located in Model Town Main Market, Chacha Di Hatti serves the most delicious and unmatched chhole bhature. Once you visit this place, your hunt for the best chhole bhature in North Delhi will come to an end.

This place gets very crowded in the morning, especially on the weekends. As the stall opens in the early hours of the morning, one can notice a huge queue of foodies quickly grabbing their portions of these yummy chhole bhature, before the stock finishes for the day. Nominally priced at Rs. 40 per plate, Chacha Di Hatti serves huge, non-greasy bhature with superbly spiced pindi chhole cooked to perfection. Sizzling golden spongy bhaturas are freshly prepared right in front of your eyes, and this makes the dish seem even more irresistible; surely one cannot wait to dig into his or her plate. The chhole are soaked and boiled overnight, moreover, the addition of Chacha Di Hatti’s signature secret spices redefine the quality of chhole and make it more appetizing. Not only this, the amount of dedication and love that goes in its preparation is worth a hearty amount of applause, and has fetched Chacha Di Hatti an unbeatable reputation in the area.

The imli chutney and the onion salad served with pickled green chillies is the show stealer on the plate. Chacha Di Hatti has been serving the locals for more than a decade. However, it was shut down for a short period of time for some undisclosed reasons. But it made a successful comeback with more variety to spice up the morning breakfast of the localities. Now, it also serves paneer bhatura for Rs. 50, and chhole kulche garnished with thinly sliced onions and fresh coriander.

Anubhav Sapra is an avid foodie! He is a Founder but proudly calls himself a Foodie-in-chief at Delhi Food Walks. He is also a street-food and Indian regional cuisine connoisseur and loves to write about street-food.